For almost 1 year I’ve been working on my next pattern, and today I’m finally calling for testers to help get the Grace Tankini ready for sale! It’s a really exciting day, and I’m so glad for everyone’s help.

The Grace Tankini is a vintage inspired swimsuit with lots of options. View A contains a circle skirt and a top with a playful circle in the back. View B has ruched center areas which are customizable to flatter your figure. The sporty bottoms can be made with or without matching ruching. You can mix and match the 2 tops with 4 bottom options. Include the 2 perfectly sized patch pockets to keep things stored while you swim. The secure card pocket can be added to any of the bottoms. Both top views include a shelf bra. The Grace Tankini is the ultimate feminine swimsuit. Whether you’re looking for a suit with more coverage due to modesty or skin sensitivity or some other reason, the Grace Tankini is the swimsuit for you!

Testers will be notified by email by May 30. You will have 1 week to source fabric (I know not everyone has swimsuit fabric laying around!) and the test will begin June 5. If you can fulfill those time requirements, please fill out the tester form below.
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Don’t think you can sew swimwear, or need some inspiration? Right now there’s a swimwear tour filled with all things swimwear sewing. Check it out:

If you buy them bundled together, you can save an additional $2 with the code SKORT ~ Which means you get 2 amazing skirt patterns, both with shorts underneath and pockets, for only $7 which is a crazy good deal! We’ve made both these skirt patterns over and over and over again!

Yesterday Adrianna Appl of Hey June Handmade released the Willamette Shirt. It’s a boxy dolman popover shirt with several different options for sewing. I made view A with sleeve cuffs. There are also options for a cropped version or one with a waist seam and color blocking options.

The Willamette Shirt can be made in 11 sizes from 2 to 22. It has a boxy silhouette, which means it goes straight from the waist to the hem. In other words, totally kind and complimentary to a body that’s birthed 8 babies…one as recent as 2 months ago!

This pattern is a great one for an advanced beginner seamstress looking for an entry pattern into sewing woven button up shirts. I love the Cheyenne Tunic pattern, and will continue to sew it over and over again! But the new Willamette Shirt is a lot faster to sew…I made this one in one afternoon. The plackets are actually facing, and the collar is one piece sandwiched between the yoke and the front, so much easier to construct. You don’t even have to make the button and button hole, you can just sew the placket shut up higher, like I did.

I love the pleat in the back (which is hard to see in this photo.) I made the inverted pleat, but there are 2 other types of pleats you could make there too…all completely detailed in the pattern, of course!

For the fabric, I used some Robert Kaufman lawn designed by Liesl Gibson (of Oliver + S.) I had hoarded it for a while, and only had 2 yards. The Willamette Shirt fabric requirements is 3 yards, but I managed to get this one from 2 yards with a tiny little pile of scraps left, as I shared in my Instagram Story! (For reference, I made a size 8…it probably could not be done in much larger sizes.) This lawn is very lightweight and drapey and works great to give some movement to this boxy top. I used the navy blue color way which is mostly sold out, but Kaufman Woodland Clearing Birds in Branches Coral Fabric is still available.

I sewed the Willamette Shirt without making a muslin with NO alterations to the pattern! Normally this would be a pretty dumb thing to do, but since I’ve sewn so many Hey June patterns and am familiar with the way they fit, I was comfortable in doing that. Usually I do add width to the shoulders of my Hey June patterns, but because this pattern has dolman sleeves, that wasn’t necessary either!

One reason I sew any Hey June pattern I can is because I always learn something new from them. For this pattern, it was the genius way the facing is constructed together with the yoke and collar. At one point I was pretty sure I was going to have to unpick the whole thing, but kept going according to the instructions, and never had to undo and redo anything!

If you get your copy of the Willamette Shirt right now, it’s on sale! I can assure you it’s worth it.

Affiliate links are used in this blog post for some amazing products. Just so you are forewarned, if you click on one of our affiliate links, we just might make a few pennies at no extra cost to you!

Just like last year, I’m participating in Me Made May. As a refresher, Me Made May is an event where people who sew their clothes wear them for the month of May. Everyone personalizes it to what works for them, and I’m doing the same. This year I’m using the Me Made May event to assess my wardrobe, looking for handmade gaps and to determine what I wear and don’t wear and why. Then I’ll summon up the courage to get rid of the things that don’t work…even though I made them! For some reason I have a really hard time getting rid of garments I made. I’ll summarize each week here, and let you know how it goes.

A post shared by Skirt Fixation (@skirtfixation) on May 3, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

Day 3 verdict:

This Lonetree Vest is absolutely amazing! I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of it, since I used top quality Art Gallery Fabrics canvas and made 3 muslins before sewing it up so the fit is perfect. This ombre Syrah Skirt is one of my absolute favorites too. I just need to repair the hem. My double needle and I are not good friends right now!

Me Made May Day 5:

A post shared by Skirt Fixation (@skirtfixation) on May 5, 2017 at 5:48am PDT

Day 5 verdict:

I really do like the collar of this Parisian top and it’s shape, but it’s old, pilling and the collar is off center. So I might make this pattern again, and pay special attention to collar placement, use better fabric, and lower the arm cycle and widen the shoulders a bit. I’ve got a couple other cardigans, and only a few things to wear this Julia Cardigan with, so it’s going to have to go.

I’m also posting pictures of my kids wearing handmades every day over on Instagram, so if you want to see it as it happens, follow us on Instagram! Here’s what my kids wore this week:

Hello there, we’re back again with Project Sew It’s April Challenge: Dress. (Project Sew It is a monthly inspirational sewing challenge created by Celina of Petit a Petit and Family.) Aria and Audrey both sewed up a garment for this month’s challenge. But not a dress.

We’ve given ourselves amnesty on the given garment theme for the month of April because both of us needed a different garment than a dress in our wardrobes. And frankly, we’re both a little scared of sewing up dresses. But later in the year there is another dress challenge, so we’ll see how we do then!

Audrey’s Amnesty April Santa Fe Top

The Santa Fe top by Hey June Handmade is one of my current favorite patterns. I made 2 of these tops and wore them the first 4 months of my pregnancy almost exclusively! And now in my postpartum body, I’m in my super comfortable, almost flattering, lovable Santa Fe tops again. So I decided to give the 2 I made last fall a little help by sewing up another. This time I sewed up view F with the adorable contrast sleeve inserts.

I made just a few changes due to personal preference. First of all, I went down 1 size. I do feel my other Sante Fe Tops are a little on the big side even thought the pattern is intended to get a loose fit. And secondly, the fabric I was using has a huge stretch, and sizing down is a good idea. I raised the neckline in the front by 1 inch. And I also made a neck band rather than a neck binding, just for fun. I also lengthened the sleeves out to the length of the largest size.

The chocolate swirl fabric is a brushed poly, which is all the current rage in the sewing community for good reason! This is a little different than the double brushed poly I used for my Mountain Pose Pants, and my machine really struggled to sew the side seams where it was 2 layers of the brushed poly together. Where the sleeve fabric and the brushed poly fabric are sewn together, my machine did fine. If I had a serger, I’m sure it could handle brushed poly fabric just fine, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself because I don’t have one!

You can find the chocolate swirl fabric at Girl Charlee. The solid brown is from JoAnn Fabrics, I was leery of matching the shade of brown on a computer screen, so took the fabric in hand to the store to match. Which led to several other fabric purchases…oops! Anyway I absolutely LOVE this Santa Fe top, and no one can see the inside where it looks like the bobbin threw up on my fabric because apparently my machine was sick of sewing this brushed poly! I also left it unhemmed so as not to give my sewing machine a worse case of the flu, or whatever was it’s problem!

Aria’s Amnesty April Seattle Skater Skirt

After Allegra no longer wanted or needed the Seattle Skater Skirt Mom made for her she passed it down to me, and I left it in the closet and forgot about it because it was too big in the hips! I recently discovered that it fit me though, and have been wearing it a lot (because POCKETS!), so when this month’s challenge came, because I really don’t wear dresses, or like to wear them that much, I decided a skirt was what I needed most, and I picked the Seattle Skater Skirt. First because it was easy, second because it was a circle, and third because it has pockets!

As I was looking at the sizes, fabric choices, etc. I discovered that the Seattle skirt can be made with a woven fabric! (Funny the things you can learn when you read stuff properly…) Of course you still have to use knit fabric for the waistband. I went with this nice fabric that has purple embroidered flowers on it from our stash! It happens to match the top I made for the February challenge perfectly!

This skirt was super fun to make, and the only change I had to make was to adjust the circle to a little less than a circle because I wanted to add length to the skirt (I’m almost as tall as Mom now!) and the fabric wasn’t wide enough to make a full circle. So it’s about 2 inches short of a full circle, still very full, and longer too. It still has a nice spin to it though.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun making this Seattle Skater Skirt, it went really fast, and I didn’t have to unpick anything! I plan on wearing this a lot, and I’m happy to have a new addition to my wardrobe.

We’ll see you later for next month’s Project Sew It. We’ll just say we are excited about the theme and won’t be taking another amnesty month!

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We had the privilege of sewing up another German sewing pattern. This time it was the Bellah by Prulla. But don’t worry, this pattern is once again available translated to English in the Naeh Connection shop.

Bellah is a loose, casual shirt, made from lightweight fabrics. The pattern is defined by some pleats at the shoulders. I didn’t sew the pleats exactly the way the pattern recommends, but ended up with a very nice blouse anyway.

Bellah can be sewn in 7 different sizes from 34 to 46. Those are European sizes, so if you don’t know your size, you choose one from the finished garment measurement chart included in the pattern. I made size 36.

I love that this pattern includes the intended height (5’8”) it was designed for. This is always helpful for someone tall like me. Then I know exactly what I need to do to make it work for my 6’ tall frame. This time, I only added an inch to the length, and nothing to the shoulders. I usually widen a pattern at the shoulders for my broad shoulders, and probably should have this time, but it’s wearable as is.

I made the 3/4 length sleeves. There is elastic at the end of the sleeves, another nice feature. This means if you push the sleeves up, they will stay and not keep slipping down! Always nice for a busy mother who needs every extra hand she can get!.

About those pleats; I closed the pleats like you do on a skirt. When I was editing the photos, I realized something was not quite right about them, and went back and read the pattern instructions again. Sure enough, I had messed up, they are supposed to be open, allowing for a little more detail at the shoulders. But with the busy-ness of the fabric, I don’t think it’s too noticeable.

That fabric is some very lightweight fabric (crinkle chiffon?) that was in my stash. It’s very pretty with shades of grey and blue throughout. Since it is so sheer, I’m layering it over a black tank in these photos. It is perfect for summer and into fall layered with a cardigan.

The Bellah pattern is pretty easy to sew, I did it in one afternoon, even with a nursing newborn baby! There are only 5 pieces. I did take time to finish all the edges of this lightweight fabric with a zigzag stitch to preserve it longer. And ever though I added length, I only sewed a tiny rolled hem instead of the deeper hem the pattern suggested. You can make it even faster if you choose the option to eliminate the buttons and buttonholes.

Today Aria and Audrey are sharing our makes for the Project Sew It February prompt – blouse. (Project Sew It is a monthly inspirational sewing challenge created by Celina of Petit a Petit and Family.) Audrey took the opportunity to treat herself to something she’s never had before, and Aria added a much needed item to her wardrobe. Here they are with their makes.

Audrey’s Flannel Cheyenne Tunic:

Well once again I am not modeling my own clothing, but hopefully next month I will be! For February’s blouse prompt, I turned to my favorite button up pattern and made myself a flannel Cheyenne tunic. I can’t remember ever having a flannel shirt in my life, and I am absolutely in love with how this one turned out! I CANNOT wait to be able to try it on myself!

I sewed the Cheyenne Tunic in the popover view B. I adore the fit of the first Cheyenne tunic I made, and knew no fit adjustments would be needed for this flannel version.

For the fabric, I fell in love with this Robert Kaufman mustard and gray flannel fabric that I found at Raspberry Creek Fabrics. It sewed up like a dream because it’s a very stable flannel.

I turned the button placket, pocket and back yoke pieces on the bias like a true flannel check shirt. It think it adds so much awesomeness to this Cheyenne! Last time I used voile for the sewing this version of the Cheyenne tunic, my maternity version is from a chambray, and this one is flannel which I think speaks very well to the versatility of this pattern.

Aria told me that this flannel Cheyenne Tunic is very warm. The wind was blowing and it was a cold day when we took these photos, but she said she couldn’t feel the wind through the shirt! Now by the time I can probably wear it, summer will be upon us and I will have to wait for fall weather, but at least I’m prepared!

Aria’s Drapey Rayon Seafarer:

I really enjoyed making this month’s challenge! It was a SUPER quick sew, and I was able to do it in one day! I have made the Seafarer once before, but it was with a heavy weight knit. I still wear it too, but recently Allegra gave me one of the Seafarers Mom made for her (not blogged!) I love it! One of my favorite parts about it is it is a light weight knit and a larger size, thus making pretty drapey and super comfortable!

I was looking for light weight fabrics when I came across this super pretty purple Sew Classic Spandex Knit Fabric from JoAnn Fabrics! It turns out we have nearly four yards of it! (Hopefully I can make something else out of it!)

The most difficult part of this was the neckband. I tried to sew it on the first time, but i didn’t stretch it anywhere near enough, so I had to unpick it, *sigh*, and mom helped me pin it. After that everything went really smoothly!

This Seafarer Top is definitely my best attempt at sewing with light weight knits! I’m hoping to do more with lighter weight knits and looking forward to the next challenge!

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Thanks for stopping by today on the Blithe Fabrics Blog Tour. If you‘ve been around here before, you know how much we love Art Gallery Fabrics for their superior quality and amazing designs. Blithe Fabrics are designed by Katarina Rocella, and like her other lines, we are absolutely in love with this newest line. (Be sure to stick around to the end of the post where I am giving away 1 yard of Blithe canvas!!!)

For this tour we chose some special patterns to go with these special fabrics. Naturally, we’re going to start with the skirt!

This canvas is very soft and supple to work with. The only downside of the canvas is that the edges can fray if left raw. But with a pattern like the Lonetree Vest and Jacket, this is not a problem as all the raw edges are enclosed. I don’t know if I’ve ever worked with a pattern as professional as the Lonetree.

In this photo you can see part of the inside, but each seam is finished with a Hong Kong finish and the edges of the facing are enclosed, making the inside of the vest just a s beautiful as the outside. the lining and Hong Kong seams use shot cotton.

I lined up the pattern around the front and back of the vest as best I could, and because of the painterly effect of the trees and forest on the canvas, it want too hard of a task.

We chose to add both the collar and the hood to this Lonetree Vest. Aria said that beside being soft, this vest is really very warm too. I am so excited to use the Lonetree Vest and Jacket pattern again to make more gaments.

This is the 1st garment made from the Lonetree Vest or Jacket I’ve seen that used printed fabric. I think Art Gallery Blithe Canvas Evergreens Frozen Fabric works rather nicely, especially with the Runway Skirt from the same in of fabric. Aria and I are still deciding whether to use silver buttons on the pockets or use velcro under the flaps for a more subtle finish. What do you think?

Both Aria and Audrey decided to participate in Project sew It this year. Project Sew It is a monthly inspirational sewing challenge created by Celina of Petit a Petit and Family. January’s challenge is to sew a sweater. Here are both of us to tell you about January’s project.

Audrey: When I saw January’s sweater challenge I decided it was time to execute! I’ve had the plans for this particular sweater for over almost a year. I’ve had the Jasper Sweater pattern for quite a while, and you can read about the 1st one I made here. I absolutely love that one, even though it’s too tight across the shoulders because I didn’t make any wide shoulder adjustment and the sweatshirt fleece I was using didn’t have any stretch. So I picked up some French Terry Fabric-Aruba Blue fabric last winter. Then the season turned to spring, in summer I found out I was expecting, and so the idea just sat and sat.

Finally the Project Sew It January sweater challenge spurred me to action. You probably noticed that it’s not me modeling these photos, but Allegra. But when I’m not wearing maternity clothing anymore, I now have something very nice and new waiting for me!

This time when I sewed the Jasper Sweater I took a little extra time and, according to the instructions, I bound the exposed hood seams with some contrasting Riley Blake knit fabric leftover from this skirt. I also used this fabric for the pocket. It’s a subtle and stunning accent and I am totally in love with this tiny detail!

I found these buttons at JoAnns also, and just love them! They are the perfect accent for this Jasper Sweater. Aria (who has the same width of shoulders as me) tried on the Jasper Sweater and declared it a perfect fit across the shoulders and back. I can’t wait to try it on!

The most difficult part about it was the thumb cuffs, but it was definitely worth it! I had to scrap the first attempt because I discovered I had cut out that pattern piece with the stretch the wrong way…I cut it out again and sewing them went quite a bit faster that time!

I also wanted to add a pocket, so I used the kangaroo pocket piece from the Halifax Hoodie pattern! This was pretty easy too!

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